good morning. it is thursday february 21st 2013. welcome to "cbs this morning." tens of millions of americans are in the path of severe weather this morning. stunning developments in the blade runner's murder case as the lead detective faces his own murder charges and the terms of the massive spending cuts now nine days away. and we're there as investigators raid the scooter store. but we begin this morning with today's "eye opener," your world in 90 seconds. >> we'll stay home. >> a massive storm plows across the heartland. >> 15 states are under a watch

or advisory. >> tens of millions of people are in the storm's path. >> damaging wind gusts, large hail, even isolated tornadoes throughout the day. >> forcing pga officials to suspend play. >> it's coming down pretty good right now. you can make a snowman. >> makes a dramatic twist for the case. >> police say the detective and two other officers fired shots at a mini bus in 2011. >> this case is unraveling as fast as it can be. it doesn't mean that there is no crime here. >> a major milestone for the u.s. military in afghanistan. for the first time since 2007 more than 30 days has passed with no american military deaths. >> meanwhile just eight days away from the automatic and dramatic budget cuts known as the sequester. >> how can there be cuts to the military. >> on our civilians, it will be

catastrophic. lance armstrong is refusing to reveal what he knows about doping. the cyclist will not be interviewed under oath. they could become the latest high-tech craze. >> the new google glasses that allow you to snap photos with the blink of an eye. this survivor dug out of the snow after an avalanche in colorado. all that -- >> the second obama term is starting out with bangor two. >> michelle obama's formal portrait. >> a former senator now admitting he had a secret love child with the daughter of another former senator. >> when did the senate become "the jerry springer show?" when did that happen? >> -- on "cbs this morning." >> a woman called 911 because she needed cigarettes. >> hello. i need some cigarettes. >> you don't see me calling 911

because i ran out of jokes. not anymore, anyway. captioning funded by cbs welcome to "cbs this morning." a storm is threatening nearly 30 million people in the midwest. it could be the worst weather to hit the region in 20 years. there are white outconditions. people in kansas are being urged to stay off the road. one person has been killed in a storm related crash in oklahoma. in the west it snowed in tucson arizona. look at this. the world golf championship was suspended. blizzard warnings were posted in parts of arizona. >> we have a big mess in the midwest as you have been alluding to. here's what it looks like on the radar this morning. the bright white. those are heavy snow squalls moving across wichita.

that's moving into kansas where it looks like it's going to snow hard. it shows the snow pivoting from the southwest to the northeast as we go throughout the morning and afternoon hours so wichita will see improvement lamt today, but northeastern kansas and missouri will be looking at heavy snowfall for the next 24 hours. look at this purple area. anywhere in here we could be talking a foot maybe a little bit more than that. the snow rates are incredible this morning. they're one to two inches an hour. it could snow like that for the next 6 to 12 hours. the southern end of this storm, there's the potential for severe weather as we head later on into today. it's bad news for travel but the good news is we have severe drought in the farmlands in the midwest. this moisture is greatly needed and it's going to be greatly appreciated.

norah. >> thank you, david bernard. a bombshell has been revealed about the lead investigator. and this morning nike announced its suspending its deal with lance armstrong. emma hurd has more at the courthouse. emma, good morning. >> reporter: cbs news can reveal that the attempted murder charges well before he became involved in the case of oscar pistorius. now, the detective was recalled to the stand today briefly to clarify some of the testimony. but the case against him was mentioned. as the prosecution and the defense look forward to their closing arguments in this application, a revelation from outside the courtroom has rocked this case. the news that the lead investigating officer in the fatal shooting of reeva

steenkamp is facing several charges of attempted murder. he gave evidence against oscar pistorius and is accused of being drunk in a government vehicle when he allegedly opened fire at a mini bus taxi with two other officers back in 2011. the charges were withdraw but they've since been reinstated raising questions about the credibility of the detective who under cross compassion was forced to admit he made several mistakes in the pistorius case. this morning south africans are shocked by the latest twist. >> the police service seems to be very corrupt and not very efficient at what they do. >> reporter: the prosecution is arguing that the athlete should remain in custody for premeditated murder but they say the evidence doesn't contradict the evidence claimed that he thought he was shooting an intruder. his friend kenny is in court to support him.

>> only family and friends and faith faith, i think, is helping him hold up. >> reporter: it does seem increasingly likely that oscar pistorius will be granted bail. the case against him has been seriously weakened by several police blunlders and the prosecution is struggling to show that he's a strike risk or poses any serious threat so he could be free to await his trial. charlie, norah? >> emma hurd thank you. now to washington on the automatic budget cuts that could happen next week. a new poll finds 40% of americans are willing to see those cuts take effect. government agencies are already sending out warnings while the president and congress are pointing fingers at each other. bill plante is at the white house. good morning. >> good morning, norah. so far there's no give on either side. house republicans are making it clear that they're determined not to allow more revenue, and

they continue tro tie to build pressure. today he talks to radio hosts. wednesday he reached out to local television. >> this is a problem the congress can solve. >> reporter: they're back in their districts to talk to local television reporters in areas of the country that will face severe hardship if the cuts take place. this from maryland from wjz in baltimore. >> i'm hoping they hear from their constituents so when they come back here they'll be ready to do some work. >> $46 billion from the military budget this year. in later to congress wednesday, secretary panetta warned the entire civilian defense force could be affected. that means 700,000 of the 800,000 who work for the

pentagon. >> on our civilians it will be catastrophic. >> reporter: civilians like sue ann falkenburg a single mom 3,000 miles away in california. i would have to get a part-time job to support my family. >> reporter: falkenburg is worried about the pay cut or furlough. >> i can't exactly call my landlord and say, hey, i got a 20% cut in my salary can you reduce the rent for 20%? >> reporter: it's not just the pentagon. dozens of cuts including the fbi will have to make difficult choices. >> the fbi will have to be in a position to evaluate where the reductions will come from and that may impact the national security arena. >> reporter: the democrats' congressional campaign committee also goes on the offensive

today. they will accuse republican of risking 700,000 jobs in order to protect special interest tax loopholes. a total disaster that's what one walmart executive reportedly wrote about a plunge in sales. its it's announcing its report this morning. rebecca jarvis is here this morning. good morning. >> good morning. >> what are they saying and what are they saying about the economy? >> looking backward they're saying walmart had a very good christmas. they earned more than expected. they came in light on sales. however, going forward that's really a question. walmart is considered a bellwether for our economy and what they told us this morning is that the payroll tax cut is impacting consumers. the hike that we saw at the beginning of the year the 2% hike which takes about $20 out of people's weekly paycheck is hitting the consumer and gasoline prices are up 50 cents

in the last month and there's a tell prey knock on the consumer right now because refunds have been delayed. the tax code had to be overhauled as a result of the many of the reforms of last year and they're saying their consumer has been hit by delays in the refund checks about $20 billion in refund checks didn't go out on time. >> all right. new information. rebe rebecca rebecca, thank you. the obama administration plans fines, penalties, and trade sanctions against any government that sponsors hacking. bob orr is in washington. bob, good morning. >> good morning. we're in the middle of a broad-based cyber assault. it's on media circuits and websites. in the last month three major newspapers have all reported cyber attacks. e-mail systems have been breached and personal data lost to cyber spies' intent on

stealing valuable information. kevin man kevin says most are being carried out by the inside chinese military. is there proof that the chinese government is sponsoring these attacks? >> it would be hard that they don't notice thousands of attacks coming out of their architecture architecture. >> mandia reports this is the place. security guards chase them away. u.s. officials say hieber headquarterses each year are steal 2g $50 billion worth of u.s. trade secrets. now a white house report warns the pace of economic espionage and trade secret theft is accelerating and jeopardizing our status for the world's innovation and creativity.

in response the obama administration is promising to increase dip increase diplomatic pressure and trade policies. in addition they'll seek more prosecutions for trade thefts. he says that won't be easy i think it's the duo hurdles, force the law, get your hands on the perm traitpetrators that makes it difficult. >> it's not clear that tougher talk from the white house will do much to curb cyber theft but even critics say it's a start. frankly for too long chinese hackers have been stealing our lunch money with no punishment. a bomb went off near the country's ruling party. the government says 35 people were kill and 237 wounded. rebel fighters have been moved in to syria's capital where ha

sad has much of the reigning support. they're saying terrorists carried out the car bombing. lance armstrong's lawyer says he won't cooperate with the investigation into performance-enhancing drugs. elaine quijano shows us why armstrong is giving up what may be his last chance to give up cycling. >> reporter: lance armstrong said he's willing to talk but just not to anti-doping agents. >> he's showing more of that defiance that we had seen in the past and more of that reluctance to work with authorities. >> reporter: it was last month the former cycling champion admitted to oprah winfrey that he doped his way to seven tour de france titles. >> i view the situation as one big lie that i repeated a lot of

times. >> reporter: soon after scott pelley spoke with the head of the anti-doping agency travis tygart for "60 minutes." >> the impression that lance armstrong makes is he was doping, yes, but he was just one of the guys. >> he was the boss. the evidence is clear. he was one of the ring leaders of this conspiracy that pulled off this grand heist thal defrauded people from millions of dollar. >> reporter: tygart said testifying under oath would be the only possible possible way of having his sentence reduced. >> i'm not surprised in the least bit that lance armstrong is not talking to youusada right now because he has so many legal problems he's entangled in.

>> reporter: his lawyer says the 41-year-old would still be willing to take part in an international effort to clean up the sport. for "cbs this morning," elaine quijano, new york. bill strickland is editor at large from "bicycle" magazine. he spoke with lance armstrong yesterday. good morning. >> hi, charlie. >> so what is he saying to you and why is he not going forward? >> he thought the conditions that he was asked to talk to usada were going to be restrictive to him. he believes the other riders who testified were able to talk informally and then review an affidavit before signing it and lance said the conditions he had were that he would be under oath right away and it would be videotaped and there would be up to five people present in the room. >> so he's worried about legal -- >> yeah, he's worried about

perjuring himself or the harm it might give in defense of the other cases, but he also was just worried that -- he said he thought it would be a fact-finding talk at first and then as the other writers had done review the affidavit. >> bill, what does this mean for lance about where does he go from here? what does it mean for him legally? >> legally it's probably a good move as he faces the whistle blower suit. there's a suit with sba promotions. they want about $12 million back. there's a libel suit in england he's finishing. talking under oath anywhere is probably a bad idea. it does mean it's probably the end of his competitive career his ambitions to raise. >> tell me about his mood. is he angry? does he feel like he's a victim or does he somehow feel like he's gotten some new sense of coming forward and telling everybody the truth?

>> i think he was frustrated last night. he does -- he says he wants to come forward and cooperate. he's hoping with -- cycling is talking about a truth and reconciliation commission. it's a term borrowed. >> let me interrupt you, bill. do you believe that? do you believe he really wants to tell the truth? >> i think he wants to get past it. he's ready just to get past it. as a lot of us in cycling are. i think the reaction if a lot of insiders are that we're all disappointed that he wasn't able to talk to usada. >> bill strickland, thank you so much. >> thank you. time now tow show you this morning's headlines from around the world. ex-senator domenici discloses that he had a son with the

daughter of another senator. >> the sfroons chronicle looks at fish fraud. they claim one third of the seafood sold nationwide is mislabeled. they found errors in all 21 states they checked. there's no monitor to check for seafood fraud. a new study says u.s. farmers converted more than 1.3 million acres of grassland into corn and soybean fields between 2006 and 2011. the rates compare with defor is station in brazil malaysia and indonesia. and "the wall street journal" has a warning about giving children codeine. the

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government agents raid the scooter store headquarters after former workers reveal the company's sales tactic to "cbs this morning." >> bulldoze them and get the paperwork done. >> so people could get those wheelchairs. >> mm-hmm yes. >> even if they didn't need them. >> yep. >> jeff glor is at the scene of the raid with new developments. could the next pope be an american? we'll show you which cardinal is getting new attention in rome and which one is being urged to stay home. plus the truth about what really causes arthritis ahead on "cbs this morning." >> announcer: this portion of "cbs this morning" sponsored by qeu southeast o, made by

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it is now 26 minutes past 7:00. today is sunny but cold. sharon has had a lot of big problems on the commute, marty has first warning weather. >> 39 the same basic temperature as yesterday but sunnier and not as windy as gusty. here is sharon at wjz traffic control. >> good morning. still looking at big problems especially on the topside of the beltway. the inner loop remains closed between white marsh and 95. an accident to tell you about that one is going to be on secret boulevard at 695. that is on the right shoulder. another accident to tell you about on maryland 140 at 795. if you are headed out right now on the beltway, we're looking at delays

on the top and west side. 95 a little bit slow between the beltway and the tunnel. there's a live look at the delay on the northwest side because of that accident we had on the outer loop at 795. that's on the shoulder. that's a look at that traffic barely moving on the topside inner loop. this traffic report is brought to you by jerry's automotive. it's all about you. there's breaking news if prince george's county this morning. an adult and two children dead in a house fire. the blaze broke out about 4:00 this morning in a home on leslie avenue in glenn arden. a woman and an 8-year-old were able to escape. firefighters rescued a man and three children who were not breathing at the time. since then the man and two children have died. a local gynecologist commits suicide, now police are sorting through a huge number of secret images of his patients exams. mike schuh is live with the latest. >> reporter: good morning. our media partner the baltimore sun says the doctor killed himself by putting a plastic bag over

his head and filling it with helium. dr. nikita levy made videos of some of his 1,000 patients at an east baltimore ob/gyn practice. now some of his patients are responding to print and online ads but local lawyers looking to sue john hopkins. some lawyers say that the patients will have a strong case others say that such a suit depends on whether the victims are identifiable. it's reported levy left a note of apology to his wife. back to you. >> thank you. a 3-year-old is dead having been run over by husband father's car. the father and a 2-year-old got out of that car with the grandmother and 3-year-old still inside and the car still running. if -- the car started rolling back ward and the 3-year-old fell out and was run over. a freight train derailed over night. two of the trains ten cars are carrying acid but there's no leaks or injury. stay with wjz 13, maryland's

news station. up next, is the government being ripped off

here is why you shouldn't mess around when yoosing a ski lift. earlier this month a teenager was seen hanging onto a chair before plummeting more than 45 feet. apparently he was trying to throw a snowball to the chair in front of him when he fell. he made it out with no serious injuries. welcome back to "cbs this morning." amazing, isn't it? every time you're on a lift you think about that possibility. >> i get nervous on a ski lift but i think he was playing around, but i'm glad he's okay. welcome back everybody, to "cbs this morning." remember that story we told you about last week? we had an investigation into the power wheelchair industry.

they are reportedly ripping off the government more more than hundreds of millions of dollars a year from the government. >> jeff glor is in texas. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: charlie, good morning to you. 150 federal and state agents were part of this raid on the scooter store here yesterday, and agents remain on the site this morning. we just spoke to an fbi agent who says workers will not be allowed back into headquarters today as the nation's largest power wheelchair company remains under investigation. the agents came from the inspector general, fbi, and texas attorney general. they held some workers back for interviews and told others to leave the building immediately and leave their desks alone. this video was taken by one worker inside. >> is there any way we can know what's going on? >> we have a federal search warrant. >> reporter: outside employees were handed flyers with contact

information for the fbi. as the scooter store known for ids abundant tv ads came. >> if you're living with limited mobility, call the scooter store today. >> reporter: late last year former employees told the company that their main goal was not to help patience. to bulldoze doctors into writing prescriptions to make profits. >> bulldoze them to get the paperwork done. >> reporter: so people could get the wheelchairs. >> yes. >> reporter: even if they didn't need them. >> yep. >> reporter: the issue is they get the prescription before it's determined if the wheelchairs are actually necessary. they're finding industrywide, 80% of medicare payments for power chair payments are made in error, most going to people who don't need them or lack prove they need them. from 2009 to 2012 government

found the scooter stores overbilled medicare by as much as 108 million dollars. three former scooter store employees told us the company ranked doctors based on whether they'd prescribed chairs and they had a program specifically to get chairs for people that physicians had already deemed inaccessible. brian says they wore doctors call. >> well can you go in and get them to do that. didn't feel right in my heart to do that. >> reporter: who's telling you to do that? >> corporate office. >> reporter: even if you knew they didn't need it. >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: and they had you do it. >> they pushed you so hard. >> reporter: last month the scooter store would not agree to an on-camera interview but it said its rigorous internal screening process including a

medicare required face-to-face doctor examination diskwal fies 88% of those seeking medicare or private insurance reimbursement for power mobility devices. but now the scrutiny of the nation's largest power wheelchair company has reach add new level as federal agents ask begin their examination of evidence seized here. the evidence collection will take days here. we're told as of yet, no arrests and no charges have been filed. charlie, norah? >> jeff, i assume part of this is simply trying to build a case so they can recoup the money for people who spent money on these scooters. >> reporter: the recoupment of the money is a big part of this. the scooter store did agree to pay back $19.5 million last year. med cared said they were billed $108 million. so there's been some controversy about that because medicare says that was not a settlement. that was just a starting point. >> all right. jeff glor, thank you.

and 11 american cardinals get to vote for the next pope. that's the second largest voting bloc behind the italians. there's some speculation that one u.s. cardinal is a viable candidate but jim axelrod shows us why tradition and scandal make any american pick a long shot. >> reporter: no one knows for sure who the next pope will be but one thing is for certain. there's not a single american cardinal who wants to sound like he's campaigning for the job. >> could you be the nominee? >> no. that enters into the world of fantasy. >> that's just way too out of the realm of probability. >> i have bought a round trip ticket. >> the old joke is the man who walked into a conclave expecting to be pope walks out a cardinal. >> reporter: dennis cody of the national reporter says power is why no american has risen.

>> an american president and the pope on the world stage at the same time the world couldn't handle that very well. >> reporter: still the italian media showed cardinal o'malley as someone who might have potential. he speaks flew end spanish and portuguese. >> o'malley is a capuchin. they're known for their lifestyle and their humility and their solidarity with the poor. >> reporter: other american cardinals like roger mahoney of los angeles are tainted by scandal. church files released last month showed ma homie kept the names of priests of sex abuse from police. a petition to request that he not attend next month's papal vote has garnered more than 6,000 signatures. when all is said and done no one can predict who the conclave will choose. >> 117 men will walk into the sistine chapel they'll close

the doors, they'll seal them and they'll start to talk among themselves. what happens behind those closed doors, we just don't know. >> reporter: for "cbs this morning" this is jim axelrod in north. >> monsignor anthony is here. >> good morning. >> norah has a greeting for you. >> good morn ging, monsignor. >> good morning to you. >> we saw a piece, speculation that there could be an american pope. is that a long shot? >> no, it's not. the field is wide open. pope benedict xvi said when he resigned there are pressing questions, urgent questions and the united states is taking it up. i believe that's pretty

possible. >> when you talk about americans, certainly cardinal o'malley of boston because he is seen as someone who has cleaned house from the sex abuse scandal, do you think the new pope must be a reformer must have a record of reform when it comes to the sex abuse scandal? >> the sex abuse scandal was a terrible scourge on the church and on the world and certainly we need a leader who will continue to uncover the sexual scandals, deal with them effectively, and remove those who have caused these scandals. certainly someone like cardinal o'malley who has dealt with the crisis in boston head on is needed to take the church forward for the good of the church and the good of the world. >> hue much political trading takes place with this in the way they reach a decision until you have to bring factions together and trade back and forth? >> the cardinals are already

beginning to talk who should succeed benedict xvi 'em. there are grupgoupings for it. the time now, we're not dealing with the death of a pope, is giving them the time to truly know the candidates and choose a man who has proven himself with credibility in these pressing trying times. so it's very important -- yeah go ahead. >> i didn't mean to interrupt. it's interesting. the decision process is taking place before they really come together as they make an assess assessment of different people who might be on the list. >> well absolutely charlie. the cardinals know each other already. they've come to rome already. so it's really important this time to choose a man who they know who can deal with these questions that the church is facing. isn't that what benedict said when he resigned? he said there are these questions we need to deal with head on. so we need the right man

absolutely. they'll need 116. one will not be coming to rome due to poor health. 116 cardinals will go in with good knowledge of each other, the questions of the time and say this man, a reformer one who has a clear vision of the world, of the needs of the church today, this is the man we want for the long term to take us forward. >> monsignor figueiredo. thank you so much. we look forward to meeting you. arthritis. what causes it and why there's so many myths. >> and tomorrow the former san diego mayor tells us why her addiction led to a one-time gambling spree. >> heroin the more you did, the more you need, and the more it wasn't satisfying. >> it's an interview you'll see

only on "cbs this morning."

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cause of disability in this country. 50 million adults suffer painful swelling in their jimts, and despite how common arthritis is there are lots of misconceptions out there. dr. holly phillips is with us this morning. good morning. >> good morning. >> we all did it when we were younger, cracking our knuckles. does that cause arthritis? >> cracking your knuckles absolute fiction. if your mom told you not to do it, she was on to something. is damages joints in other ways. it stretches out the tendons and ligaments and can decrease grip strength. mom was onto something when she told you not to do it.

>> wearing high heels, does that lead to arthritis? >> it does. two inches seem to be the critical break point. inches higher than 2 inches will cause a load on the knee. just a tad -- >> i may have arts rye it is tomorrow after wearing these. >> the higher the heel the longer you wear it too, that wears your risk yochl u can war those for five minutes. >> what about weather? it certainly exacerbates it but does it cause it? >> it's fiction that it causes it but it can trigger it. cold and damp conditions can worsen pain for arthritis suffers. it causes swelling in tissues around the joint. >> weight does it affect arthritis? >> weight is very much a fact. now overweight and obesity are a top cause of arthritis of the

hips, of the spine, and of the knees. and just keep in mind. every pound that you gain feels like four pounds on your knees, so it can add up very very quickly and degenerate the joints. >> all right. conan o'brien is moving his show. we'll show wu why he's returning to the place he first performed when bill clinton was president.

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at 4 before 8:00, lots of sunshine. there's been a lot of trouble in traffic. sharon will bring you up to speed after marty east first -- marty's first warning weather. >> it's in the mid 20s now actually high of 39. here is sharon gibala at wjz traffic control. good morning. good morning. still big travel troubles on the topside of the beltway. the inner loop remains blocked between white marsh boulevard and bel air road for an accident there involving a tractor trailer. again, all lanes are blocked. you can take white marsh boulevard as your alternate. a new accident on 95 southbound at key highway. that one on the left shoulder. another one on 70 on the ramp to the inner loop of the beltway blocking ing the right --

blocking the right lane of the ramp. you're looking at significant delays on the topside inner loop of the beltway because of that closure. this traffic report is brought to you by bge smart energy savers program. don't forget to pick up cfl and led bulbs for your home. find participating retailers at bgesmart.com. it's been four hours since the blaze this broke that killed a man and two children. a woman and 8-year-old were able to escape the house. firefighters rescued a man and three children who were not breathing when they came out of the house. the man and two children have since died. stay with wjz 13, maryland's news station. up next, what to expect from this year's white house correspondence dinner, plus detecting diseases with a super computer. if you're looking outside your window and

seeing the blue sky and sunshine put your hand up next to the glass and feel how cold it is out the when it comes to fighting the flu virus remember to wash your hands, get your flu shot and use clorox disinfectant products to kill 99.9% of flu viruses. this cold and flu season lets help spread protection.

>> and good morning, everyone. it is 8:00 a.m. welcome back to "cbs this morning." a major storm is pounding the midwest with snow and ice. we'll show you how bad it's going to get. and watson has already beaten everyone on "jeopardy." first here's look at today's "eye opener" at 8:00. >> we have a big storm in the midwest. >> it's threatening nearly 30 million people in the midwest. >> it even snowed in tucson arizona. look at this. the world golf championship tournament was suspended. major news.

a bombshell has been revealed about the lead investigator. >> the intensive charges were reinstated well before he became involved in the case of oscar pistorius. budget cuts could occur as early as next week. >> walmart is considered the bellwether of our economy and what they told us this morning is the payroll tax is affecting consumers. >> 150 federal and state agents were part of this raid on the scooter store as the nation's largest powered wheelchair company remains under investigation. >> higher than two inches causes medial loading. >> this is more than two inches. >> just a tad. here's why you shouldn't mess around when using a ski lift. he was trying to throw a snowball to the chair in front of him when he fell. >> there could be an american

pope. is that a long shot? >> no, it's not. >> it's being reported that the next cardinal could be a pope from boston which means the vatican could soon endorse birth control but only for yankee fans. >> announcer: today's "eye opener" at 8:00 is presented by allergan. >> i'm charlie rose with gayle king and norah o'donnell. gayle, i missed you. welcome back. >> it's good to be back. thank you. this morning a winter storm is plowing through. nearly 30 million people and 18 states are on a weather watch and advisory. in kansas offices have been shut down for the day. drivers are being told to stay home. >> and some areas could see more than a foot of snow. cbs news weather consultant david bernard is watching the storm. it could be the biggest in the midwest in two years. >> well the snowstorm is going to be ranging across kansas and missouri. all day today we could be talking about snowfall rates of

1 to 2 inches per hour. right now some of the worst snow is in south central kansas but that's gradually moving from southwest to northeast. in kansas city the snow is beginning to pick up as well. northern missouri is going to see the bulk of this as we head into the and and evening hours. how much additional snowfall over what we've seen already? where we have the purple area we could be talking another foot of snow or in some cases it could be a little bit more than that. south of there, the warm air, we could be talking warm air between houston and new orleans with strong thunderstorms a possibility as well. back to you. >> it is another turbulent day for olympian and murder suspect oscar pistorius. nike announced this morning it's suspending its contract with the double amputee track star. even with the story back in the news today, there's news that could put the entire case in jeopardy. emma hurd is in south africa and joins us with the latest.

good morning to you. >> this is the latest dramatic twist in this bail hearing. the investigator himself is himself facing seven charges of attempted murder. detective hilton bosh oobotha is accused of opening fire on a minivan when he was drunk back in 2007. he says he's not guilty of the charges but it's embarrassing for the prosecution because they didn't know about it and the police are scrambling to appoint a new lead detective this afternoon. now, in terms of the hear botha appeared on the stand again today but he wasn't asked about the charges. the judge is hearing closing arguments from the prosecution and the defense as oscar pistorius's lawyers try to get him out on bail. charlie, norah, gayle. >> emma hurd thanks. they're raising flags over the impasse of the automatic

budget cuts. congress needs to step in before the cuts take effect next week. >> you know i've said before. i don't know why it is in this town folks leave stuff for the last minute. there's no other profession no other industry where people wait until the 11th hour to solve these big problems and obviously it creates a lot of uncertainty in our economy. you know we're poised to grow and create jobs this year. every economist says so. so long as we don't have self-inflicted wounds from washington and that's what this ends up being if we don't avert it, and we should do it soon. republicans in congress say the president is to blame for not offering a serious plan to cut the budget. >> former illinois congressman jesse jackson jr. faces a minimum of nearly four years in prison. he pleaded guilty yesterday for spending campaign funds for personal use. he left yesterday with a message. >> i'm sorry i let everybody

down. >> you say you let everybody down? >> i'm sorry i let everybody down. i really am sorry about that. >> in court a tearful jackson said he mislead the american people. documents show he used $750,000 in campaign money to buy a rolex watch, a fur cape flat screen tvs and more. his wife sandy pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns. a new report says too many medical treatments are overprescribed. it's put out by medical specialty groups representing 350,000 doctors. 135 tests and treatments are mentioned in the report. the examples include routine ct scans for kids with minor head injuries and powerful painkillers like oxycontin taken for migraines. the medical group says patients should always ask their doctor this question, do i really need that. >> a new treatment may have millions of americans who have uncontrollable acid reflux. it happens when the stomach's

openings don't close properly allowing stomach acid to rise into the esophagus. 60 million americans have heartburn at least once a month. now they say a magnetic bracelet implajted around the stomach says it's stopped people from having to use drugs. the white house correspondents' dinner, but conan o'brien is returning nearly 20 years after his first appearance. chip reid shows why the laughs come with a bit of risk. >> here he is. conan o'brien! >> reporter: conan o'brien is heading to washington. in april the comic will headline the white house correspondents' dinner an annual gathering that brings together members of the press, hollywood actors and washington power brokers. it's also a night where the president feels free to take

public shots at his rivals. >> >> no one is prouder to put this birth certificate to rest than the donald and that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter like did we fake the moon landing, what really happened in roswell, and where are biggy and tupac. >> reporter: comedians have entertained the crowd before all making appearances in recent years. the tone is mostly light-hearted with an occasional bite at the jugular. >> mr. president, do you remember when the president rallied around you in hopes of a better tomorrow? that was hilarious. >> reporter: but as with all white house events choosing the headliner is as carefully planned as the guest list

itself. >> conan o'brien who's done this dinner before knows he's got a tall order in front of him to be funny, but be funny in a way that as people say doesn't cross the lines. >> reporter: in 2006 stephen colbert issued a steering roast to then president bush. >> to sit here at the same table with my hero george w. bush, to be this close to the man. i feel like i'm dreeping. somebody pinch me. you know what? i'm a pretty sound sleeper. that may not be enough. somebody shoot me in the face. >> reporter: o'brien has been at the podium before. >> finally i have an announcement for those of you watching the event live on c-span. for god's sake, it's saturday night. >> reporter: nearly 20 years later, organizers could only hope he'll poke some fun without poking anyone in the eye.

for "cbs this morning," chip reid, washington. >> it's a rough room. it's a real rough room. i think he said it well. poke some fun without poking somebody in the eye. >> that's tough. >> i think conan will do a great job. >> he will. he did one of the great come mentionment speeches at harvard or around commencement day. moving on our chief washington correspondent bob schieffer is getting a national awards honor. they're giving the distinguished services award to the host of "face the nation." he salutes bob for your his, quote, dedication and profound impact on journalism and so do we. >> congratulations, bob. well deserved. >> i'll say. represents us well always. and british tabloid reporters are saying prince harry is in love. he's on a ski vacation in switzerland with her name is crusetta. she's been seeing him since last

summer. she's a 24-year-old socialite and a model. her half sister used to go out with prince william. i think good morning. it is a very bright sunny start to this day. it's going to stay that way through the afternoon unlike yesterday which got quite battleship gray. we're going to be breezy, not windy with gusts. 39 degrees going to be the high. the normal is 46. tonight 24, clouds do increase during the over night. tomorrow generally gray with a high of 38. a wintery mix in we all saw man versus machine on jeopardy. the machine won. now the experts think this super computer named watson could one day save your life. we'll show you how on "cbs this morning."

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millions watched in amazement when a super computer named watson beat his human competitors on jeopardy. soon watson could be working in a doctor's office near you, even diagnose and treat patients. there's a new piece in the atlantic called "the robot will see you now." jonathan, good morning to you. has it really come to that the robot will see you now. should doctors be worried? >> i don't think that row back courts should be worried that robots will take their place tomorrow but it's quite possible that five years, ten years from now, when you go to the office the doctor or practitioner seeing you is going to have a tablet that offers what people call decision support. a machine like watson can sift through information, decide what kind of treatment to give you, what disease you have that sort

of thing. >> it can only be good news. >> like any innovation it could be good new, it could be bad news. the upside is pretty good though. >> what's the downside? >> you think it could prevent us from having wasteful treatment and duply kaive tests time and time again but sometimes we actually use that information and end up having more health care. we did a study once where they gave doctors access immediate access to test results and the idea was this would prove -- you know doctors would know more about your condition an get the treatment right. what ends up happening? the doctors order more treatments and it drove up costs. so there's always a good side and bad side. >> so doctors are already using their smartphones to look up medications and interactions. so what's different about this? >> watson first of all, is very fast. it also has the ability to do

what the computer geeks call read natural language. in other words it can understand spoken language. it can read journal articles. and that's really the potential there for watson to be able to survey all the medical lir and say, hey this is what's out there, you may not know this you may not have the information. >> so much to me in dealing with the doctor ss was it. >> how can watson do that? >> watson can't do that. i think it will never replace the doctor. my doctor's a physician naturally. >> what does he say to you? >> he looks at me and says that's right because all i am is a big algorithm machine. we do have a doctor shortage. one thing this technology can do is, say, look. in stoefd just relying on tock doctors, you can rely on it.

>> he adds to -- we call it "he." he or she adds to it. >> yeah. the the people of ibm are saying look, we're not trying to replace doctors. it's a tool to help doctors. one hollywood oscar thinks we could see a surprise on saturday night. i switched one of mine. that's ahead on "cbs this morning." >> announcer: this portion of "cbs this morning" sponsored by international delight coffee creamers. what's your i.d.? [ male announcer ] when ziggy the cat appeared at their door he opened up jake's very private world. at first, jake's family thought they saved ziggy but his connection with jake has been a lifesaver. for a

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all that mattered 128 years ago today, the washington tower, the monument was dedicated in 1845 nearly 40 years after workers broke ground and here it is this morning. tourists have been kept out of the monument since earthquakes

in 2011. sunday night means the oscars. th

a

it is 25 minutes past 8:00. we continue to watch traffic in the southwest corner of the city. marty is over at first warning weather. >> let's take a look at the forecast. sunny start breezy, but not windy and gusty. the mid 20s now. 39 is going to be your high. here is sharon gibala at wjz traffic control. >> it's a busy finish to our morning commute. we still have that big problem on the topside to have beltway on the inner loop still blocking all lanes between white marsh boulevard and bel air road. it's an accident involving a over turned tractor taylor. another accident still there 70 on the onramp to the inner loop of the beltway, off to the right shoulder. one more in bel air on bel air road at sunshine avenue. speeds remain slow on the top and west side of the

beltway. there's a look at the west side. typical delays there. the big problem is on the inner loop. this traffic report is brought to you by the cochran firm. call 800-the-firm. back over to you. >> thank. prince george's county fire investigators continue to look into a predawn house fire that killed a man and two young girls. it happened at 4:00 a.m. on leslie avenue. a woman and girl were able to escape, with firefighters rescuing a man and three girls. emt's were able to revive one child. a local gynecologist commits suicide. now police are sorting through a huge number of secret images taken of patient exams found in his home. mike schuh has the latest. >> good morning. our media partner the baltimore sun says the doctor killed himself by putting a plastic bag over his head an filling it with helium.

doctor nikita levy made videos of his patients. now patients are responding to print and online ad by local lawyers looking to sue john hopkins. some lawyers say the patients will have a strong case, others say such a suit depends on whether the victims are identifiable. it's reported that levy left a note of apology to his wife. back to you. >> thank you . baltimore city police did not have permission to use the facility where a trainee was accidentally shot last week. the maryland department of health tells us the city was not authorized to train at the former rosewood state hospital center in baltimore county. last week a recruit was shot in the head there. sources say the officer who pulled the trigger mistook his service weapon for a training gun. tonight the anne arundel county council will vote on a new county executive. john leopold resigned after the misconduct in office guilty outcome. stay with wjz 13, maryland's

news station. up next, a rare

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welcome back to "cbs this morning." coming up in this half hour it's long been said that actors are america's royalty. so many will be holding court this sunday at the academy awards. we'll get some predictions at who's going home with the gold. what makes diamonds so precious. we'll learn the secrets of the world's most wanted stone. right now it's time to show you this morning's headlines from around the globe. the "l.a. times" says curiosity has collected its first sample

from inside a rock. nasa used the robot to drill a 2-inch stone grabbing about a tablespoon of gray dust. "the wall street journal" says the scooter store is involved in a scam. they sail they jump up and walk to the gate. they say a heart ailment bulger was taken from prison to the hospital suffering from an irregular heart beat. he's 83 years old. daily news says they're stomping a michigan grandmother from posting her real age. she's 104. she uses facebook to keep in touch with her grandchildren. she's been 99 years old for the last three years. she's reached out to facebook founder mark zuckerberg. so far, no response.

if i was 108, i'd want people to know that. >> 104. >> 104. britain's telegraph says workers there are the worst prepared in the world when it comes to retirement. the average retirement lasts 19 years. their average savings only pays for seven years. and "usa today" says red carpet fashions on oscar night will appeal to a broad range of women. that's thanks to the youngest and oldest nominees. 9-year-old qaa boj naz wallis. hollywood goes behind the scenes. it includes a photo of bruce weber, fashioned to document this year's issue. >> reporter: i wanted to do something different this year and bruce weber, i thought bruce

would bring a look and feel to the issue. >> bruce weber is considered one of the probably top five fashion photographers in the world. he does ad campaigns for ralph lauren for calvin klein, for abercrombie & fitch. >> it was really a lot to live up to. i thought, i'm not going to think about living up to it. i'm going to think about what i all do and make something of my own. >> this kind of shoot is certainly not typical for ""vanity fair."" we've done other very large productions but never with so much -- so much pumps. >> we did the even tire thing over a ten-day period in los angeles. >> we have hundreds of racks of clothes. >> we did shoot 120 actors and actresses. >> for the veterans it kind of reaffirms them and keeps them relevant.

for the up-and-coming, it's like the stamp of approval. >> "vanity fair" is the hollywood magazine. >> it's the folks who have hung around long enough to be truly the living legends. >> bruce brings along the kind of old-fashion eded that brings -- >> he creates a vibe. he puts on music. it got my juices flowing. >> i wore a double-breasted suit that made me say it was fall 1952. >> bruce's imagination is incredible. he's such a photographer. >> he creating a ceiling, kind of like anything can happen. it does. >> lions and tigers and bears. >> there's circus animals, marching bands.

>> what would she be without an elephant. >> the cover is really the icing on the page. you really made it to be on the cover of "vanity fair." >> it's an honor. >> the way bruce wanted to approach the cover was in a radically different way. >> bruce weber, wow. >> and it airs this saturday night at 10:00, 9:00 central time right here on cbs. the academy awards could still bring some cliff hangers. there are still no favorites. he joins us again at the table. hello, michael hogan. >> hi gayle. >> if there is such a thing as momentum can we say ben affleck has it for going in for best picture? >> sure does. ever since we sat and gasped because he didn't get nominated for director it turns out it's

the best thing that happened to him. seemingly as a kind of protest vote from people saying, wait a minute, he got robbed and we're going to make sure he gets rewarded properly. at this point it would be very, very surprising if he didn't win best picture on oscar night. >> what about best picture? >> because ben affleck isn't there, it's hard to figure out. normally they go together. steven spielberg is the favorite, and on paper we have a dashboard that collects statistics. we've got him as an 83% favorite. a lot of people think ainge li. >> i'm thinking of changing to ainge li again. i'm thinking i can keep changeing until it show. >> best actor is also a competitive race. you have jessica chastain for

"zero dark thirty." "zero dark thirty." jennifer lawrence for silver star playbook. emmanuel hasn't -- my money's on jennifer. >> if you're older does that factor who's considered for the academy awards? >> they're older whiter maler than the rest of the population. it's more of a film that would appeal to older voters. >> they have nice-looking girls. you know it's true. >> who would you like to spend the night with and consider you consider it to be the factor in the best actor's race i'm not going to lie. if you look back in list it seems that would happen. >> should we talk about sound mixing? >> i'm kidding. i'm kidding.

>> costumes. >> i like all of those things. >> what's causing all this the fluctuation and here and there. >> i think the baseline issue is we have nine best picture nominees. a large number of them have grossed more than 100 million dollar. we have a lot of great movies this year. we're in a kind of spread the wealth mode right now. >> one thing that doesn't seem to have changed, correct me if you may, daniel day-lewis for best actor. >> if daniel day-lewis doesn't win, i'll eat this table. i like this table, so let's hope he wins. >> and i just heard this morning they don't want to call it the academy awards anymore. that they just want to call it the oscars. >> they're saying 85th academy awards makes it sounds too fussy. just call it the oscar. i guess in the age of hash tags and twitter, it's easier.

save a few words. >> is the harvey impact having an impact? >> he doesn't ever let up. voting ended on tuesday. un up until that moment he hasn't stopped. david oh russell is the chief beneficiary of his efforts and also robert de niro could conceivably be a surprise. >> thank you so much. a lot of people were thinking about diamonds on valentine's day. they're back in the news this week for much different reasons. good morning. we have a very sunny day start. it's also cold. at least the strong winds have diminished down to a steady breeze. mostly sunny. 39 degrees is going to be the high temperature. tonight 24, clouds increase as that big storm you're hearing about in the

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freschetta. made better to taste better. and the world's diamond sellers are still reeling from

monday's $15 million heist from brussel's airport. they're still a $15 billion industry. rebecca jarvis is here to look behind the secrets of their allure. good morning. >> good morning. it's hard to thing of what's more concentrated on wealth than the diamond. where and how does the diamond get its value and what keeps the value so high? we asked the experts. >> i just love finding new places to wear diamonds. >> reporter: the consumer appetite for diamonds can seem insatiable. ♪ diamonds are a girl's best friend ♪ >> reporter: but how did a rock with no intrinsic value become such a luxury? it's more of a diamond fixation. they're considered to be a powerful protection of power. >> reporter: diamonds were formed deep in the earth billions of years ago. they were brought to the surface

by way of volcanic eruption like these diamonds in the rough under tight security at this museum of natural history. >> so this bright thing is a 25-carat diamond. >> reporter: 25 carat. this 5 carat blue diamond ring is priced at $4.5 million. of course, this is tiffany in mid manhattan, home to the little box. >> it's not uncommon for people to drop right at the case window and propose. >> reporter: it was queen victoria's betrothed who began the tradition of the engagement rink. charles tiffany brought the tradition to america. and in 1961 hollywood brought tiffany's to the world. but even for audrey hepburn's

movie, that on the other side of the glass were wishful thinking. >> diamonds are somewhat rare and scarce but not as rare as the industry would have us believe. >> reporter: cut, color, clarity, and carat weight the four cs of determining a diamond. this single block of more than 4,000 diamond retailers and wholesalers rings up over $24 billion a year in sales. and if it's the impression of scarcity that keeps prices here high, the arrival of manmade diamonds could fundamentally alter the market. what's the most significant difference between a natural diamond and a manmade diamond? >> the price. >> reporter: scientists able to grow rocks chemically optically and identically to the diamonds mined from earth say the only way to tell the difference is

under a microscope. >> there are some who say it doesn't have the same row maens. something ta's been under pressure under the earth for thousands of years is different than one that came out of a machine and plucked by a guy in a lab coat. >> reporter: for all their lack of rowmanceromance, manmade diamonds are always guaranteed conflict-free. >> they have a pretty technical narrow definition. they're being mined and used to fund rebel groups. >> reporter: the 2006 movie "blood diamond," brought attention. it brought an international governing body to thoroughly mosh tore it. >> just because it's not a conflict diamond with human blood doesn't mean it's come to

terms. mind or manmade, a diamond will pass through many hands before it ends up on yours. >> when i was a kid, i saw superman take a piece of coal and go like this. he opened his hand as and there with a diamond ring for lois lane. it doesn't work that way. >> it doesn't work that way. >> the big question is when you break off the engagement do you have to give the diamond back? >> it depends on the expert. i'm sure it's a personal thing. some experts will say it's the last property a woman receives before she enters into marriage so it's technically in legal terms hers to keep but, of course, people are going to say -- some are going to say, come on. return that diamond. that i'm thinking if he drops me i'm keeping it or if i drop

him, i'll return it or if it's a family heirloom i'll return it. hopefully it won't be dropped. >> i agree with gayle. >> do you? >> i do especially if it's a family her loom. >> is the favorite diamond the hope diamond? >> it is. this is all because of a mistake by humans. that's coming up next on "cbs this mor

yesterday many of you watched our story about a world war ii fighter plane sitting on the ocean bottom near miami beach and several of you wrote to us because you saw something else that should not -- let's try that again -- that should not be down there, she's trying to say.

it's hundreds of lion fish that invasive species is causing some serious problems in the tropics, and we decided to call in a mar reen biologist expert. good morning, edy witter. were you surprised to see the lion fish and wondering what's happened here? >> i wasn't surprised but the one waving to the camera was a little pushy, but they are a way of life now, and throughout the caribbean, they've been invading the area in increasing numbers for some time now, since actually about the mid-1980s and they really exploded around 2000 and spread out to the bahamas and as far north as north carolina and as far away as venezuela. >> where are they coming from and where are they going tosome. >> they're originally from the

indo pacific, and they were brought into this country for aquarius that wanted to keep them as a beautiful fish in their aquariums but unfortunately they got released. that's a real problem when people bring exotics into their homes. sometimes it's by accident but sometimes it's on purpose. people can't keep them anymore and they can't bring themselves to kill them. so think thank they're doing a good thing to release them to the environment which couldn't be worse because they can't be kept in check. in our waters they have absolutely exploded. they consume everything. they eat everything on a reef. you have a beautiful little patch reef covered with a rainbow of fish and you come back and 80% of those fish are gone. >> you have a significant

solution for how to reduce the number of lionfish. what is it? >> one of the ideas is to eat them. they're very tasty. in order to encourage people to eat them, you don't need a permit. you need a hawaiian sling or spur that's needed. >> what do they taste like? >> they're very light? >> do they taste like chicken? >> no, no. they're a very light white delicate meat. there's all kinds of wonderful recipes for them. there's a lionfish cook bock put out by the reef educational foundation. they tell you how to catch them and clean them because they do have poisonous vines. >> thank you so much. thank you. that does it for us. next up your local news.

we'll see you tomorrow here on "cbs this morning." mommy! i went potty! that's great, honey.... where? for life's bleachable moments.

5 minutes before 9:00. a live look at john hopkins main medical complex in east baltimore. notice all the sunshine. marty is over at first warning weather. >> let's take a look at the forecast. sunny through the day but cold. at least it doesn't stay as windy as yesterday. that's down to a breeze, which will diminish through the day. 39 is the high. 24 clouds increase over night. 38 tomorrow. it's going to be a generally cloudy, gray day. that wintery mix i believe is an after dinner deal. in the news this morning prince george's county fire investigators continue to look into a predawn house fire that killed a man and two young girls. the blaze was at 4:00 a.m. at a home on leslie avenue. a woman and 8-year-old were able to escape with firefighters residence crewing the man and three girls all not breathing at the time. emt's were able to revive one of the girls the

others were pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital. the investigation continues here this morning into the case of a former john hopkins gynecologist who secretly photographed and videotaped his patients exams. mike schuh stays on the story. >> good morning. our media partner the baltimore sun says the doctor killed himself by putting a plastic bag over his head and feeling it with helium. nikita levy made videos of some of his one though patients at an east baltimore ob/gyn practice. now some patients are responding to ads law local lawyers looking to see the doctor's employ, john hopkins. some lawyers say the patients will have a strong case. others say the suit depends on whether the victims are identifiable. it's reported that levy left a note of apology to his wife. a 3-year-old is dead, run over by his father's car. police say the dad and a 2 year old had just gotten out of that car which was left run being the

-- run being -- running with the 3 year old and grandmother inside and the car started rolling and the child fell out and was ran over. a train derailed in cecil county. there are no reports of any leaks and no injuries have been reported. baltimore city police did not have permission to use the facility where a trainee was shot and wounded during an accident last week. the maryland department of health and mental hygiene tells us the city was not authorized to train at the former rosewood state hospital center. last week a recruit was shot in the head there. sources say the officer who pulled the trigger mistook his service weapon for a training gun. tonight the anne arundel county council will vote in a few county executive to serve out the tomorrow of john leopold. now 16 are vying for that job including form county council member john hammond and

former maryland first lady kendall urlik. stay with wjz 13, maryland's news station. complete news and first warning weather today at noon. updates available